Mistakes, Repercussions, and Consequences
by immaturelittlegirl
Summary: Angel meets up with someone from the past and learns the results of a mistake he made long ago. A/D
1. Default Chapter

**Author**: ImmatureLittleGirl, immaturelittlegirl@yahoo.com

**Disclaimer**: Characters are from the TV show ANGEL. I think Joss Whedon owns them. I know I DON'T.

**Timeline**: About 19 years from now.

**Authors Note**: Darla is still alive and did not come back after the night Angel's epiphany. 

**Summary**: Angel meets up with someone from the past and learns the results of a mistake he made long ago. A/D

**Feedback**: Please??? I really appreciate it and it's a great way to get constructive advice. It helps me improve my story so that it's worth it for you to spend your precious time reading it. :) 

Mistakes, Repercussions, and Consequences 

Her heels clicked rhythmically on the pavement as she walked quickly down the sidewalk. Glancing at her watch again she saw that it was only two minutes till nine. She was going to be late again and the band was going to be pissed. She'd only been on her own now for a few months and she was barely making it with the money she was pulling in at the diner and singing in the band. If the band replaced her she'd be sunk. But that wouldn't happen; she couldn't let it. Failure was not one thing she was willing to except and she sure as hell did not want to go crawling back to her mother. 

The club was two blocks away; if she sprinted she could be there in five minutes. Looking down at her stilettos she realized that wouldn't be happening. Okay, so she'd walk and be there in ten minutes. Deciding it best to let someone know she was on her way and would be there shortly, she stopped to pull her cell phone from her small handbag. Dialing quickly she prayed that the guitarist would have his phone on.

"Hello?" A deep, masculine voice answered.

"Johnny! Hi, it's Jocelyn." 

"Where the fuck are you? We are on in less than five minutes!" He yelled frantically.

"I know. I'll be there in, like, five minutes, ok? Just tell them I'll be there!" Jocelyn responded, then hung up before he could bawl her out. Shoving the phone back into her bag, she picked up her pace. Maybe she could make it in seven minutes if she walked faster. 

Jocelyn came to an abrupt stop as a hand clenched tightly around her upper arm and spun her around with great force. A tall, dark haired man was standing in back of her his hand still tightly clamped around her arm. She stood motionless in silent shock as she waited for the man to say something.

"I told you that if you ever showed your face again in LA that I'd kill you!" the man said in a loud whisper that chilled her to the bone. His cold hands tightened yet again around her arm and she could feel tears beginning to pool in her eyes. She'd never seen the man before in her life and she certainly didn't know what he was talking about.

"Wh-who are you?" she asked as a tear escaped and trickled down her cheek.

The man loosened his grasp for a moment and studied her face. Grabbing her again, this time by the wrist, he dragged her a few feet closer to the street light, then let her go.

"Darla?" He asked as he looked carefully at the girl. Jocelyn's heart stopped suddenly at the mention of that name.

"N-no…" She answered backing slowly away. He took another step closer, still eyeing her suspiciously. "What do you want with Darla?"

"You know her?"

"Who are you?"

"Where is she?"

"Who are you?" Jocelyn asked more forcefully. She wasn't answering any questions until she found out who this man was.

"Is she in LA?" the man continued his interrogation.

"Why should I tell you anything? You just told me you wanted to kill her!" Jocelyn argued then regretted it as the man's face contorted in anger. His eye's tinged yellow and that's when she finally realized that the man was not a man at all; he was a vampire. Never before had Jocelyn felt like crying for her mommy more, in her nineteen years of existence, than at that moment. Going with her gut instinct, she broke out into a sprint in the opposite direction, forgetting her choice of footwear for the evening. Of course she only got a few paces before she tripped over her shoes and tumbled to the ground. Seconds later she was ripped back off the floor.

"Don't anger me girl!" The vampire growled.

She trembled in fear as more tears began to stream down her cheeks. The vampire let her go and took a few steps away to give her some room.

"Just tell me where she is." He said more calmly this time.

"No, I can't. Not if you're going to hurt her. Who are you?"

"I'm Angel. Now who are you?"

Jocelyn paused unsure of what to do or say. 

"Don't worry. I don't kill humans. Though if you want me to leave you alone I suggest you start answering questions, little girl." Angel threatened.

"My name's Jocelyn."

"Jocelyn? Is Darla in LA?" He questioned.

"No."

"Where is she?" 

"Are you going to try to hurt her?" Jocelyn asked worriedly.

"Why do you care?" The man asked tilting his head and giving her a strange look.

"Because she's my mother…" Jocelyn whispered.

Angel lifted his eyebrows in surprise. "That's not possible!" he finally replied in astonishment. The young women in front of him may have born a striking resemblance to his sire but it just was not possible for a vampire to give birth.  

Jocelyn remained still and watched the vampire carefully. After a minute or so a ringing noise began to sound from Jocelyn's handbag. She quickly reached to answer the phone.

"Hello?" She answered in a shaky voice.

"Joss! Where are you?" Johnny practically screamed over the line causing Jocelyn to flinch away from the phone.

"I'm going to be a little late. Circumstances beyond my control. I have to go." Jocelyn hung up and looked over to where Angel had been standing but he was gone. Taking advantage of the opportunity to run, Jocelyn quickly kicked off her shoes and carried them as she dashed down the sidewalk in her bare feet.

*

"Hey, Johnny. Sorry I was late tonight." Jocelyn apologized for the sixth time that night. They had just finished up for the night and were on their way out of the club.

"You don't have to apologize to me. I'm not the one who's ticked off. Kirsten wants you out of the group. She thinks she can play bass and vocals."

"Are you kidding me? She can't sing for shit. And I need this Johnny! How am I gonna make rent? What does Alex think?"

"You know Alex. He's not much with the talk. Look, just try and show up on time. Don't give Kirsten a reason to bitch."

"That's hard. It's all she knows how to do!"

Johnny chuckled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they exited the club.

"Come on. I'll give you a ride home so no creepy men will attack and threaten to kill you, again." Johnny offered as he led her towards his large black van.

"It's not funny Johnny! Seriously! This guy knows my mom. He threatened to kill her." Jocelyn shouted. She had already told him about the terrifying incident from earlier that night, minus, of course, the demony parts.

"I know. Why don't you call your mom when you get home? I'm sure she's fine but you can check up on her and stop worrying. From now on I'll pick you up on the way to the gigs, and you had better not make me late. If you see or hear from this guy again then just call me. This _is_ LA. There are lots of weirdoes around." Johnny warned as he climbed into the driver's seat. Jocelyn climbed in beside him.

"Okay, but if Mr. Weirdo shows up again and kills me then you're gonna get a big ol' I told ya so! Well, if I'm dead, maybe not so much, but ya know what I mean…"

Johnny smiled and shrugged as he headed off in the direction of Jocelyn's apartment building.

*

Angel watched carefully from afar as a young man in his early twenties walked Jocelyn up the front steps to, what he assumed, was her apartment. He'd followed the young woman around all night, watching as she performed at a club that Angel imagined she couldn't have possibly been old enough for admittance. And then following as she was escorted home in the large black van by the man with the jet black hair now standing beside her in front of her building. The young man placed a kiss to her forehead then waited until she was safely inside before heading back towards his van and pulling away.

It was just by chance that he happened to spot her as he was walking back to the hotel after slaughtering a family of dangerous demons. He had seen her hurrying along on the sidewalk across from him, heading in the opposite direction. Immediately, he had assumed it was Darla, and rushed after her, infuriated that she dare trespass on his turf again. However, once he had seized the woman by the arm he had realized that she was human, yet still she had looked so much like Darla. She had the same shade of blonde hair, the same blue eyes, the same lips, the same shaped face. If she wasn't Darla herself, she could have been Darla's twin. Darla's daughter on the other hand, now that was impossible! Darla could not have birthed any children. Vampires could not have babies. They were dead for Pete's sake! 

Angel stood outside Jocelyn's apartment building staring up at the window that had lit up moments after she had entered. How was it possible for Darla to have a daughter? And how innocent could a child raised by his cruel sire possibly be? Angel decided that until he found more answers he would have to keep an eye on this girl. Turning back in the direction of the hotel, Angel hoped Wesley would be able to shed some light on this confusing situation.

*

Jocelyn hurried over to the phone the moment she was in the door. She checked her answering machine to make sure that no one had left any messages. Without hesitation she immediately dialed the numbers to her mother's apartment in Boston. The phone rang for what seemed like forever.

"Hello?" An irritated voice greeted.

"Mom? It's Joss."

"Jocelyn? What's wrong?" Darla asked. Jocelyn could hear the sudden alertness in her voice. 

"Nothing, I just wanted to see if you were all right. You are all right, aren't you?" Jocelyn inquired in a failed attempt to sound casual.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask? Is everything okay in California?" 

"Everything's fine! Isn't it okay for a daughter to inquire about her own mother's well being?"

"At five o'clock in the morning? Something's wrong, I can sense it. Call it a mother's intuition. Now, tell me what happened." Darla commanded with authority.

"Nothing you should worry about. I just met this guy and he thought I was you and he threatened me, err… you… So I was just calling to see if you were okay because I got scared. But you're okay, and I'm okay, so it's no big deal." 

"Who was this 'guy' who threatened you?"

"I think he called himself Angel. He was a vampire." Jocelyn revealed reluctantly.

"I'm leaving for LA as soon as the sun sets. Call me immediately if you see him again." Darla instructed hanging up the phone before Jocelyn had a chance to protest.

Plopping down on the couch she sighed in exasperation. "I can take care of myself!"  Jocelyn shouted at the phone, despite the fact she knew her mother had already hung up. Not that arguing with her mother would have gotten her anywhere, anyway.

*

Wesley sat at his desk fiddling nervously with the pens on his desk as he waited for word from Angel. Angel had left hours ago to take care of a simple demon infestation in a warehouse down town and then he was to do a quick routine sweep of the area before coming back to the hotel to check in with Wesley. But no word had been heard from Angel yet and dawn was slowly approaching. 

Wesley picked up the phone to dial Angel's cell just as the front doors burst open. Angel strode in through the lobby tossing his black leather duster over the counter.

"Where have you been? Did you take care of the demon nest? I would have expected you back hours ago?" Wesley questioned coming up behind Angel.

"Huh? Sorry what did you say?" Angel asked distractedly.

"Did you get rid of the demons?"

"Oh. Yeah." Angel turned to face Wesley, leaning against the counter. It was clear to Wesley that his thoughts were some place else.

"Was there any trouble tonight? Why were you so late?"

"No, not really. It's strange actually. Have you ever heard a vampire having a child?" Angel asked after a moments pause.

"Hmm… There have been a few recorded incidents of children being sired. They are normally kept as a sort of… pet, I suppose. In most cases they are killed or abandoned by their sires who grow tired of the responsibility. They don't typically survive long without an adult vampire to look after them." Wesley answered.

"I know that. No, I mean can vampires give birth to children?"

"No. That's not possible. When a human is turned, they die. The demon possesses the body but the body is still dead." Wesley answered with certainty.

"I thought so. But…" Angel stopped mid-sentence, again lost in his own thoughts. Pushing off against the counter, Angel continued into the room passing Wesley to stand in front a round sofa.

"But?" Wesley prodded, turning to face Angel's back.

"Tonight I ran into this woman. She was actually more of a girl, maybe about eighteen or so. At first I thought she was Darla, so I followed her. When I approached her I realized that she wasn't Darla and she was human. She claimed that Darla was her mother. At first I couldn't believe that, but she looked so much like her. She had Darla's blood in her. I followed her for the rest of the night and found out where she lives but I still don't know how it's possible." Angel explained as Wesley listened carefully.

"Well, she might have decided to adopt a human child, or more likely kidnap and raise a human child." Wesley offered as an explanation.

"No. She looked far too much like Darla for it to be a coincidence. This girl could have passed as Darla's twin had she been a few years older." Angel turned around, dedicating his attention to Wesley once again.

"I see. Maybe not her twin but… possibly her clone?"

"Her clone?" Angel's face illustrated his confusion.

"She could have given a sample of her DNA. Assuming her DNA has been preserved all these years and had a clone made of herself. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if Wolfram and Hart were to have saved something like that. Perhaps, so she could sire it once it was grown." Wesley theorized. Angel thought about the idea for a moment. It was as good an answer as any other at this point but something just didn't seem right. 

"Maybe." Angel agreed noncommittally. "I think I'll ask around about this. We should research this. I want to know if Darla or this girl, Jocelyn, are threats."

"I'll see what I can do."

*

TBC


	2. Part 2

Part 2

Jocelyn absently tapped a pen on the diner's counter as she waited for a new customer to enter and save her from this boredom. Typically she didn't mind the slow days at the diner, but today she just couldn't be left alone with her thoughts. Everything on her mind just stressed her out. She wanted to keep busy, but the only people in the diner were tired of her asking if she could get them anything. Snatching a napkin from the dispenser, Jocelyn started jotting down ideas for song lyrics, to keep her mind off of her problems. Minutes began to flow by more smoothly while Jocelyn preoccupied her mind. The beginnings of a decent song were already scribbled on the napkin when Jocelyn was abruptly shaken from her musings. 

"Hey! Could we get some fucking service?!?!" A loud feminine voice shrieked. Jocelyn looked up to see the three members of her band sitting in the booth closest to her. Hurrying over Jocelyn stuffed the napkin into the pocket of her white shorts.

"Sorry, guys. I was just writing something. I didn't see you." Jocelyn greeted her friends, standing at the head of their table.

"Damn. Nice outfit, Joss. Pastel looks real good on ya. You could be a fucking Abercrombie model!" Kirsten remarked sarcastically tugging on the collar of Jocelyn's light blue polo shirt.

"It's my uniform, I have to wear it." Jocelyn took a step away from the table, extricating herself from Kirsten's grasp. "I like your new hair do, though. Very natural." Jocelyn replied, eyeing Kirsten's purple hair.

"I thought it was fitting of the rock star image. Although you're looking very Britney today, yourself." Kirsten fired back. Jocelyn's eyes narrowed at Kirsten, dangerously. Any self-respecting musician would be insulted to be compared to the talent-less pop star.

"I think you look cute." Johnny cut in before an all-out brawl began between the two angry young women.

"Cute?"  Jocelyn questioned, suspiciously.

"Yeah, well, I mean good, great… I'd even say sexy." Johnny clarified.

"Thanks," Jocelyn mumbled as a blush crept up her cheeks. Kirsten snorted, receiving an icy glare from Jocelyn.

"What were you writing?" Alex inquired, brushing the shaggy brown hair out of his eyes.

"A song, sorta. It's nowhere near done though. I just started it." She explained looking over to Alex, who she had almost forgotten was sitting there.

"Oh, that reminds me! I wrote a song too." Kirsten interrupted excitedly. She began digging around in her bag for a moment and then produced a piece of wrinkled paper with barely legible writing on it. Johnny reached out across the table to take the paper from her and squinted as he read it over.

"It's, uh, okay. Don't you think it's a bit repetitive though? And it doesn't sound very upbeat." Johnny commented handing the piece of paper to Alex for inspection.

"I was actually thinking that it could be a little more mellow than our usual. Ya know, we could add variety to our music. I was thinking that I could even sing it." Kirsten suggested. Johnny and Alex looked at each other uncomfortably then simultaneously looked at Jocelyn, who stood nervously biting her bottom lip. She was also watching the reactions of the rest of the band at Kirsten's proposal.

"Not that we don't like the idea of variety, we could definitely consider a more mellow song, but… the small fan base that we have is more or less interested in our happier, more upbeat tunes. Our music is known for inspiring a cheerful, party-like atmosphere. This song is, well, a bit disheartening, don't you think? Besides, we have a vocalist already." Johnny stated, nodding in Jocelyn's direction as he finished his speech. Jocelyn smiled thankfully in Johnny's direction, but Kirsten did not appreciate his speech quite as much.

"Yeah, well half the time we're lucky if the vocalist we already have, even shows up." Kirsten spat angrily eyeing Jocelyn.

"I always show up. I've been late a couple of times but…"

"The rest of us make an effort to be there, which is more than you can say. If I were to take up the singing and eliminate you from the group, we could split the money we make three ways rather than four." Kirsten interrupted. Jocelyn's only response was a low, almost inhuman, growl. Kirsten's eyes widened in fear, and silence descended upon the table for a moment.

"Hey, look we make enough splitting it four ways. Jocelyn doesn't just sing, she writes the songs and also helps with booking us gigs. Her voice is also better than any of ours and quite honestly she has one of the best voices I've ever heard. So let's end the talk of 'eliminating' people from our band. There's no reason for it." Johnny defended, nodding his head to signify the end of the discussion. 

"Thanks," Jocelyn said giving Johnny a grateful smile. Kirsten narrowed her eyes angrily but did not respond, seeing that she was outnumbered.

"I'm hungry. Can we order?" Alex asked innocently changing the subject.

"Yeah. What can I get you guys?" Jocelyn asked pulling out a small pad of paper and began jotting down their order.

She placed the band's orders with the cook, and seated a group of people that arrived a few minutes later. Over the course of the next hour she was kept occupied by a few take-out orders and waiting on two other tables. Jocelyn tried her best not to look in the direction of her friends or to think about them at all. She could tell that Kirsten was still trying to convince the guys to oust her from the group, judging by the zeal with which she was speaking and the nasty glares she was directing at Jocelyn.

"Hey guys, here's the bill." Jocelyn said slipping the bill face down onto the table. "I get a break in about five minutes if you guys want to hang around a little longer."

"No, actually we have somewhere to be, sorry." Kirsten replied plastering a fake smile on her face and tossing ten dollars on top of the bill. Alex placed his money on top of the bill as well and slid out of the booth to be followed by Kirsten.

"See you later, Joss. Are you coming?" Alex asked looking to Johnny.

"Nah, I'm gonna stick around for a little while. I'll catch up with you guys later," Johnny answered also placing money on the table. 

"Okay, see ya later then." Alex said with a shrug and followed Kirsten out of the diner. 

"I'll be right back." Jocelyn said tucking the money for the bill into her pocket and gathering the empty plates on the table, then disappeared into a back room momentarily. Reemerging from the back room she opened the cash register and inserted some money. Quickly, Jocelyn visited her other tables and let her manager know that she was taking her break. Grabbing a bottle of water from somewhere behind the counter, she finally joined Johnny at his table. Dropping down in the seat across from him, she greeted him with a breathless "Hi." 

"Hey, do I have you to myself now?" Johnny asked giving her a mischievous smirk.

"For now. Not long though. I'm hoping to get out of here a little earlier today, so I'm not taking such a long break. But for the moment, I'm no one else's but yours." Jocelyn answered giving him her own seductive smirk in return, causing his to falter. 

"Why were you hoping to get off early?" Johnny asked blushing as he considered his choice of words.  Jocelyn stifled a laugh, noticing his discomfort. 

"My mother is going to be arriving later tonight. I need to get home and clean up my apartment some. She isn't terribly fond of untidiness, which doesn't even begin to describe the disarray my home is in." Jocelyn chuckled. 

"Oh yeah. Did you talk to your mom? Is she okay?" He asked with sincere concern.

"Yeah. I think she kinda panicked when she heard what happened, hence the jumping the first available flight to LA, in order to play over protective Mommy." Jocelyn replied rather bitterly.

"I'm sure she just wanted to ensure your safety. Mom's are like that. For some reason the thought of their offspring's life being endangered sets off all these alarm bells. She'll probably only stay a short while until she feels you're okay, right?"

"Yeah, I guess. I'm just not ready to hear a lecture about how far away LA is and how dangerous it is. And I'm sure the subject of how I should be in college and not wasting my time trying to become famous, will arise. I mean, I'm not even trying to become famous; I just want to do what makes me happy. She of all people should understand that! I wish I could just live my own fucking life." Jocelyn exclaimed. She pouted dramatically, her cheeks flushed with anger.

"You're cute when you're angry. Hell, you're always cute. But with an adorable pout like that, I can't understand how anyone could ever not give you what you want." Johnny reached out across the table to caress her cheek and run his thumb over her bottom lip. Her cheeks took on a deep red, which caused Johnny's smile to grow even larger.

"I think my mother has grown immune to my, so-called, adorability. Whining seems to get me no where with her, and arguing just makes things worse."  Johnny dropped his hand down to the table, wrapping his fingers around hers.

"Hmm… Maybe you should explain things maturely. Or you could just wait till she leaves town. You are nineteen, that's legally an adult. You can make your own decisions." Johnny recommended, while absently stroking the back of Jocelyn's hand with his thumb.

"Yeah," Jocelyn mumbled, not really paying attention to what he was saying anymore.

"What time does your shift end?" 

"Huh?" Jocelyn asked, snapping her attention back to the present.

"When are you leaving tonight? I could come back and take you home. Safety in numbers, ya know?" Johnny suggested.

"Uh, oh, yeah. Good idea. Thanks. I'm getting off around four o'clock today." Jocelyn stuttered, trying desperately to concentrate on the conversation, rather than his hand touching her hand. 

"Well it's set then, I'll pick you up around four." Jocelyn nodded in agreement, smiling gratefully. For a moment they sat in silence staring at each other while holding hands. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before reality was forced to the forefront of Jocelyn's mind again.

"Kirsten really wants me out of the band, doesn't she?" she asked diverting her eyes and withdrawing her hand nervously.

"Hey, don't worry about that. Who gives a shit what Kirsten wants? Alex is in agreement with me that finding a replacement for you would be virtually impossible. Besides, Kirsten can't sing. You've said it yourself. If she wants to write songs then let her. If they're good then that's great, we'll play them, but you are the vocalist. We will make that perfectly clear." Johnny assured Jocelyn, tilting her head towards him to make eye contact with her.

"You guys would make more money if I weren't in the band, and you've all known each other longer than you've known me. Are you sure that if it comes down to choosing between Kirsten and me, you're not gonna side with her? Cause I have some difficulties dealing with rejection." Jocelyn inquired nervously.

"I promise you. We know that Kirsten has instigated this whole thing. Alex and I believe that it has something to do with your being a girl, Kirsten's use to being the only one. If problems continue and something has to be done, we'll definitely take that into consideration. And if it makes you feel better, I know plenty of people who can play bass; I don't know anyone with a voice as impressive as yours." Jocelyn smiled at his compliment, then noticed a middle aged man wearing glasses, standing awkwardly at the front of the diner, apparently waiting to be seated.

"It seems duty calls. I better get back to work." Jocelyn said climbing out of the booth. 

"I'll pick you up at four. Maybe we can talk about that song you were writing." Johnny suggested, sliding out of the booth, as well. He stood awkwardly in front of her for a moment before gathering the courage to make a move. Placing his hands on either side of her hips, he pulled her closer to him and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Be back in a few hours." He whispered softly into her ear, before stepping around her and swiftly exiting the diner. 

Jocelyn stood still for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts before her brain exploded. Everything just kept getting increasingly more complicated by the minute. At least the latest complication wasn't so bad. She smiled to herself as she thought about Johnny again. Shaking her head slightly, she put aside all her thoughts and forced herself to continue on with the day.

The man standing in the front of the diner fidgeted nervously as he waited for the waitress to seat him. He jumped when he looked up and found Jocelyn only a foot or so in front of him, smiling politely while still watching him suspiciously.

"Hello, how are you today, Sir?" Jocelyn asked courteously. 

"I'm well, and how are you?" The man asked with hints of a faded British accent.

"Good, thank you. Please, follow me." Jocelyn replied leading him to an empty booth near the counter. Jocelyn couldn't help but notice how strange his behavior was. He seemed anxious and jumpy, his eyes darting around nervously and wringing his hands together. Jocelyn handed a menu to the man. Her hand grazed his gently and she was slightly disturbed when his hand lingered on hers for a delayed amount of time. 

"Can I get you anything to drink?" She asked, withdrawing her hand hastily and taking a small step away from the table.  

"Yes, I would like a glass of water." The man responded, staring at her intently. 

"Yes, one moment." Jocelyn turned and hurried back to the kitchen, trying to escape the man's intimidating gaze. 

A few minutes later Jocelyn appeared again with the man's water. "Are you ready to order now?" Jocelyn asked anxiously. 

"Yes. I think I'll have the turkey club without mayonnaise. Thank you." The man handed the paper menu back to Jocelyn and she accepted it, careful to keep outside his reach. He seemed to remain unaware of her discomfort and continued inspecting her. It was as though he was looking for something specific, or possibly a clue to something. Johnny wasn't kidding when he was talking about the weirdoes in LA.

"I'll be back as soon as your order is up." Jocelyn said, distractedly. 

She placed his order in the kitchen and delivered the bills to the other tables. The customers seated at the other two tables left only moments later and she was left to clean up their messes, alone, in a room with the strange man.  She finished cleaning, taking as much time as possible to take care of the dishes in the kitchen in back with the cook. Eventually, she was forced to bring him his lunch. Jocelyn brought the plate over to him, quickly placing it down in front of him and backing away before the strange man could scrutinize her anymore.

Jocelyn sat behind the counter staring at the song she had been writing and trying to keep her mind off of the man sitting merely feet away from her. She could feel his stare burning into her. Occasionally, she would glance up to find him look away quickly. After it seemed as though he had finished his lunch she noticed that he took out a pen and began jotting down notes on the paper placemat. Carefully watching him out of the corner of her eye, Jocelyn could see that every few minutes he would look up at her for a moment and then continue writing his notes. To her utter dismay she realized that he was taking notes on _her_! 

Taking a deep breath, Jocelyn calmly approached the table to ask if he was done with his lunch, attempting to catch a glimpse of what specifically he had been writing about her. Unfortunately, he placed his arm discreetly over the section of paper he had been writing on, the moment she got within four feet of the table.

"Is that all for today, Sir?" Jocelyn asked with forced civility.

"Yes. Thank you." With his answer Jocelyn placed the bill down on the table and collected his dirty dishes. Peering down at the placemat as she gathered the plates, she was able to see the words 'Pale Skin', peeking out from under his arm. 

Jocelyn hurried to take care of his dishes and wait for him to leave, wondering if he might leave the placemat when he left. She reentered the dining room just in time to see him tuck the folded placemat into a pocket inside his coat. "Damn it." Jocelyn mumbled under her breath.

"Thank you, Jocelyn." The strange man said, staring straight into her eye as he spoke. As he handed the money for the bill to her, his hand again hesitated as it came in contact with hers. He gave her a friendly smile, before turning and leaving the diner. 

Jocelyn sat down in the booth he had been sitting it after he was completely out of sight. Taking a deep, calming, breath, she thought for a second that maybe he wasn't so bad after all. His smile had seemed so pleasant. And then it struck her. Quickly reaching up to feel just above her breast, she remembered she had forgotten to put on her nametag today.

*

Darla slammed the door to her Mercedes Roadster with such force that it surprised even her when the door remained on its hinges. Typically she would have literally _killed_ anything, that so much as laid a finger on it, but today God help who ever managed to get in her way. She had spent most of the day waiting for the sun to go down so that she get to LA as soon as possible and rip Angelus limb from limb. As it turned out she hadn't been able to even wait until the sun set in the sky. She was relying heavily on the sun remaining tucked behind the cloudy, overcast sky just as it had all day long. Opening up a black umbrella, and slipping on her stylish sunglasses, Darla strolled quickly through the parking lot and entered Logan Airport. Using a false identification, she was able to book a ticket on the next flight heading to LA.

With two hours to waste before the plane's departure, Darla had plenty of time to consider different kinds of torture she would inflict on Angel for daring to threaten _her_ daughter. What nerve could he have possibly possessed to even lay a finger on her? He was just asking for pain. A long overdue punishment for every fucking screw-up he'd made in the past two centuries. Protector of the innocent? HA! The one innocent he truly ever owed any protection, he threatens to harm. 

When Jocelyn had awoken her at five o'clock that morning to inform Darla of her of former lover's sudden appearance, her first reaction had been fear. Realizing that her child was on the other side of the continent and in danger awoke an emotion in Darla she hadn't felt in a very long time. She had never felt panic as strong as she had at that moment. Her baby was in peril and she was too far away to protect her. As the day moved on Darla's anxiety had twisted into seething rage. The only thought that was able to keep her from ripping the arms off of the chair she was seated in was the idea of instead ripping the arms off of Angel.

Oh, how she looked forward to seeing him again.

*

TBC

AN: I know this part was kinda boring and more about Jocelyn than Angel or Darla, but they'll be in it soon, I promise. Thank you to anyone who sent me feedback. I tried to change any errors that were made and took into consideration your suggestions.


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